The Nintendo 3DS looks sweet -- there's an impressive array of launch titles in the works -- and it comes with gorgeous graphics, network-connected gameplay, and a 3D camera module. (Source: ArsTechnica)

Kid Icarus 3D is another Nintendo 3DS title to lust after. (Source: ArsTechnica)

Nintendo's star video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of Mario and Zelda, was on hand to show off a new Wii Zelda title. (Source: Giant Bomb)

Zelda: Skyward Sword adds freeform combat. (Source: Giant Bomb)

Nintendo silences the competition with a killer lineup

Nintendo's
rise to the top in the latest round of console wars was nothing sort
of shocking. When the brand suffered through the Gamecube era,
many people wrote the company off. However, with the launch of
the Wii and Nintendo DS, Nintendo flattened
the competition in terms of profitability and console
sales.

Now, at Nintendo's annual E3 keynote, the company has
unveiled an upcoming lineup that's nothing short of stunning.
Leading the way is the Nintendo
3DS. The 3DS reinvents the handheld. Why has 3D TVs
and gaming failed to catch on? "It's the glasses, "
complains Reggie Fils-Aime.

There are no glasses to be seen
with the 3DS. Gorgeous visuals for a handheld, falling between
the PS2 and PS1 in quality (plus 3D added on top), greeted viewers of
the keynote. The top screen is 3.5-inch display, while a
smaller bottom screen does touch input. There's new sensors
including a gyroscope and a side slider to adjust the depth of the 3D
effect. The unit supports Wi-Fi (according to Nintendo it
communicates "without you evening know it") for
internet-enabled gameplay.

Nintendo has assembled an arsenal
of A-list launch titles and upcoming games. Leading the way are
Kingdom Hearts 3D, Resident Evil Revelations, Assassins creed, Metal
Gear Solid. And Nintendo is chipping in Kid Icarus 3D and
Nintendogs 3D (which will also feature kittens!).

The handheld
even comes with a 3D
camera, which uses two lenses on the back of the unit. That
means that the device may even see use beyond the regular gaming
workload.

Meanwhile, the company plans to continue its
campaign of dominance on the Wii by expanding its list of titles.
The keynote kicked off with the introduction Zelda Skyward Sword.
This title allows you to utilize the nunchuk as a shield and the Wii
Motion Plus as a sword for freeform combat. It brings back
popular Zelda weapons -- the slingshot and bow -- and introduces new
ones, like a whip. It will air early next year.

Also
coming up is Goldeneye 007 -- the long awaited successor to the
best-selling Nintendo 64 title. The game will feature 16 gaming
modes for multiplayer mayhem and eight Bond characters -- just in
case you find Daniel Craig annoying and want to get you Connery
groove on. The game will launch in November.

Other top
titles include Metroid: Other M, starring everyone's favorite
Nintendo vixen Samus, and Donkey Kong. The new Metroid launches
August 31. The new Donkey Kong title, complete with Diddy and
Donkey Kong playable, will launch during the holiday season.

Even the
old homely DS -- the best
selling console of all time -- received some love, with the
gorgeously animated Kirby's Epic Yarn. Also upcoming for the DS
is Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, the latest in a line of popular mobile
RPGs. The title will feature real time combat and dual screen
boss battles.

Nintendo boasted some impressive numbers -- 22
million copies of Mario Kart for Wii sold internationally, a vast
lead in global console sales, and, according to NPD, the distinction
of being the console most desired to be purchased. Also
according to the recent NPD study people spend more time playing
their Wiis than any other console.

Maintaining a sufficient
volume of quality game titles has been Nintendo's weak point in
recent years. High
profile titles have pleased, but have been far too
infrequent. If E3 is any indication, that should soon change.
And even with Microsoft's
motion sensing Kinect (Project Natal), Xbox
360 Slim, and $149 Xbox 360 Arcade edition -- plus whatever
Sony pulls out later today -- it looks to be the star of E3 2010's
console war. We're guessing that within a year or so they're
going to be trying to cook up 3D handhelds of their own, but for now
Nintendo is yet again placing itself on the bleeding edge of gaming.

Comments

Threshold

Username

Password

remember me

This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled

I personally agree. I found Twilight Princess and Spirit Tracks to be a little painful to play through out of sheer boredom. Phantom Hourglass was ok, but Spirit Tracks felt like a weak expansion as opposed to a new game, with more time spent sitting in the stupid train than having fun.

Well, I enjoyed Ocarina of Time a lot when it was released. Age could have been a factor--not sure, because I only ever played through it once. I've played through Link to the Past many times though. And while many people have loved the Metroid games on the Wii, they've lost their magic to me. While novel, the motion controls don't seem to add much to games like these, and actually seem to detract from the game's appeal in some cases.

I'll probably try them both eventually, since Nintedno is great at surprising you with fun games, but I definitely won't be rushing to buy them at release like I used to for these loved Nintendo franchises.

There's no way they can be as bad as the latest Final Fantasy game, right?